Changes in Policy Anger Students

A policy change at Susquehanna University is raising concern among students, as well as among landlords in Selinsgrove.

Starting this fall fewer students will be allowed to live off-campus.

Kevin Schneider will be a senior at Susquehanna University this fall. He was looking forward to living off-campus, but now that’s not going to happen.

“We want to learn how to pay our own bills. From freshman year to now we wanted to room together with a group of friends. We’ve been looking forward to it for a while,” said Schneider.

Susquehanna University has always allowed a certain number of students each year to live off campus, with a lottery determining who gets the okay. Starting this fall, fewer students will win that lottery.

“We’re still releasing students off-campus, we’re just releasing fewer of them because we have more housing available on-campus,” said Angela Burrows of Susquehanna University.

University officials said the policy changes are because the school recently bought the former Pine Meadow Apartment Complex in Selinsgrove. The 98 apartments will be used as on-campus housing.

Students said they aren’t happy about the changes. Seth Landgraf will be a junior in the fall. He hoped to live off-campus next year but now he can’t. He said living off campus would save him more than $3,000 a year.

“I thought it would be a great experience. I really wanted to learn the whole paying bills thing. My parents thought it would be a great idea. I didn’t think it would be a big problem,” said Seth Landgraf.

David Bowersox is a landlord in Selinsgrove. He said he may have 10 units empty because of the university’s policy changes.

“I believe Susquehanna University has one thing in mind, it’s their own priorities. They’re not concerned with the community, landlords, and not the students,” said David Bowersox.

Susquehanna University officials said the school wants to create a residential atmosphere that furthers student learning.